To Make You Feel My Love
by A9L9O8N7E
Summary: TULIE. It had always been there. The feelings were just buried deep beneath his rough exterior. Now that he was aware of them he would do right by her, and he would always be there for her.
1. Prologue

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Hey! So this is my first FNL story. I think I have read pretty much every Tulie fic out there and have been saying that I would write one for about 6 months now. Anyways, here is the prologue. I know it is super short but the chapters will be longer. The next two chapters are nearly done so if there is interest in the story and people want me to continue I definitely will.

Thanks to A for all the support! Enjoy and please Review!!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own FNL. Title comes from the Bob Dylan song.

Prologue

He wasn't sure when it began. He had always been aware of her. He had also, always, been fully aware that she was off limits. Lately, that hadn't been a concern of his. Lately, he'd allow his eyes to linger and his thoughts to drift. It always came back to her, and his concern for those thoughts and feelings started to fade away.

The most concrete moment, the one moment he could pinpoint to the change, was when he held her in his arms, shielded her body with his. He had been so thankful that day that his strong, broad body could shelter her small frame from harm. It was in the grocery store, crouched around her as she let tears of fear dampen his shirt that something inside him clicked. It was something that had been there long before that day. It just took an extreme situation for him to realize it.

He wanted to be there to protect her always. He wanted to be worthy of being with her. He wanted her happy. Above all, he wanted her to feel for him the same way he felt for her. He had no clue how to begin.

He was Tim Riggins, and he was in love with Julie Taylor.


	2. Chapter 1

I'm truly surprised at the quick response to this. Thanks to everyone who read the prologue! Here is the first chapter. I hope you like it! Please review! I am always up for critiques or suggestions, or whatever. The next chapter will probably be up in a couple days.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

Tim was back home with Billy. He was also back in the good graces of Coach and the Taylor family as a whole, which made getting closer to Julie easier, at least when it came to physical proximity.

Tim arrived to school early, pulling into the back lot just as the Taylors were getting out of Coach's SUV. He quickly pulled into a spot a few down from them, grabbed his bag and hustled to fall in step with the family.

"Hey Coach, Mrs. Coach." Tim picked up their easy stride. "Jules," he spoke with a softer tone more appropriate for her name.

"Mornin' Tim," Tami smiled with her greeting. "You're here bright and early."

Tim let out a small chuckle. "Yes ma'am." The group entered the school where Eric and Tami said goodbye to the teens, shared a brief kiss and left for their offices. Tim and Julie walked slowly in a comfortable silence towards their lockers. Tim couldn't help but fall a step behind every few moments so that he could look her up and down. She wore a plain, white, v-neck t-shirt, with a short denim skirt and a pair of brown leather cowboy boots. Her hair tied back in a low ponytail, allowing him to gaze the curve of her neck. His eyes traveled down as he admired the way her skirt sat perfectly on her hips. Her toned dancer legs in those boots had him thinking that she was his own personal Daisy Duke.

Tim leaned on the locker next to hers as she quickly spun her combination and began replacing books and binders. The hallway was nearly empty. They would have a few minutes before students would pack the hall, and begin to stare and gossip at the pair. "So Jules, what's new?" He asked with a smirk as he stared at her, watching the blush slowly build in her cheeks.

Julie grabbed her last morning book and closed her locker, leaning against her locker and mirroring his stance. She lifted her eyes from under her bangs and met his gaze. She was slightly taken aback as she locked eyes with him. It took her a minute to try and decipher what she saw before she spoke. There was something in his eyes that she hadn't seen before, something beyond the cocky look he gave the rally girls. Something, that for a brief moment, she allowed herself to believe had to do with her. As she pushed that idea from her mind she answered him. "I'm finally free from house arrest. Dad's even allowing me to go to the party after the game this Friday."

Tim hung onto her every word, doing his best to keep his face from showing that fact. He was mesmerized as she spoke; her happiness about her freedom was genuine, though her smile did not quite reach her eyes. She was holding something back, he only wished he knew what it was.

"Is that so?" He continued to give her that Riggins' grin as he leaned closer to her and spoke again. "Well then, promise you'll save me a dance."

Her face flushed fully for a brief second before she calmed herself with the thought that he was only being nice, not actually flirting with her.

There time together came to an end as Tyra came up to them, grabbing Julie as she glared at Tim. Julie turned her head and mouthed "sorry" as she was pulled through the hall. He sent her a smile and watched her till she was out of sight. When she was gone his head fell. He stared down at his boots and thought of Julie. He stayed like that, trying to figure out what it was that troubled her, until Smash and some guys from the team called his name from down the hall. He quickly reverted back to his cocky, what he'd like to believe former, self and joined the guys as they headed to class.

--

"Julie what the hell was that?" Tyra demanded as she pulled Julie through the now crowded hallway.

"What are you talking about?" Julie asked, honestly confused to what had Tyra in such a weird mood.

Tyra just shook her head, "Of course you don't notice." She let out a small laugh as they stopped in front of Julie's classroom. "You know what, forget I said anything. I'll see you at lunch alright?" Julie nodded and gave Tyra a small smile before heading into her first class.

--

Tim did his best to pay attention in his classes. He rebuffed the attempts of the girls around him who tried very hard to break his concentration. He kept his eyes on the teacher as he took notes, knowing he wasn't really comprehending anything but he figured at least he would have something to go off of when it came time to study.

He got through his morning classes without falling asleep and headed to lunch. He sat on the end of the football table, focusing more on his food and the blonde three tables down, then on raucous behavior of his teammates.

Tim let out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair lost in thought. The material of his gray Panthers football shirt stretched over his upper body as he stretched his arms up and behind his head. His open stance was seen as an opportunity by a passing by rally girl who decided to use his lap as a seat. She wore too tight white shorts with a cut-off blue shirt and way too much make-up. What had he seen in these girls? They were clearly desperate and trying way to hard. He held absolutely no interest in her. It was not her attention or company that he craved for.

"Not today." He spoke softly as not to embarrass the girl more than she had done so herself, but his voice was firm with intent.

"Oh, come on Timmy. I thought we could have some fun." She started to rub her hands down his chest.

"Sounds like quite the invitation Riggs," Smash called from a few seats down.

Tim had had enough. He wasn't in the mood for this. He quickly lifted the girl off his lap and stood up next to her. "I said not today," he spoke louder, doing his best to get his point across. The cafeteria had fallen silent and all eyes were on him. His green eyes locked with hers for a brief moment, and again, he couldn't figure out what she was thinking. He broke their gaze and walked out to the hall.


	3. Chapter 2

Hey guys! Thanks so much for all of the reviews! I am glad you are all liking the story so far. I wasn't going to post this until tomorrow but you have all been so great that it is going up early. Anyways enjoy! Please review and let me know what you think. The next part probably won't be out for a couple days, but I will do my best to get chapters out as soon as possible.

**Chapter 2**

Friday night came quickly that week. Tim's mind had been a haze, mostly filled with her. The only time his mind hadn't been completely focused on her was when he was at practice. He figured that the very least he could do to be worthy of her was to be the best on the field. It would certainly help to keep him on her father's good side. Coach had made it clear to both him and the rest of the team that he had taken his game to another level and they all better follow suit. Coach had even insisted on him and Billy coming for dinner Thursday night.

--

_Tim had made sure that both he and Billy were in clean clothes for the dinner. They stood outside the Taylor household and knocked. Tami opened the door with Gracie on her hip._

"_Well, don't you boys clean up nice." She motioned for them to come in. "Dinner is almost ready boys, Eric is in the living room watching some game footage if you want to wait with him. Tim do you mind taking Gracie Belle?" She continued to talk a mile-a-minute as they entered the house and she passed the baby over. "Julie! Get your pretty little self in here and help me set the table! Make yourself at home boys." She finished with a quick smile as she headed back into the kitchen._

_Julie came down the hall wearing a light pair of skinny jeans and a black sweater. "Hey Billy, Tim." Julie greeted the boys as they made their way towards the living room. Tim, with Gracie pulling at his hair, stopped in front of Julie._

"_You look real nice Jules."_

"_You don't look to bad yourself Tim." She started to giggle softly as Gracie put Tim's hair in her mouth. 'At least it looks pretty clean' she thought to herself._

"_Baby girl I need you in this kitchen now."_

_Julie gave Tim a quick smile and her sister a kiss as she walked around the fullback and into the kitchen to help her Mom._

_Tim passed Gracie off to her Dad and took a seat on the couch, keeping Julie in his sightline as she helped Mrs. Coach. He was amazed at how graceful she was as she seemingly danced around the kitchen and dining room. _

"_That is what we have to watch out for Tim. They make that play to 22 every time a lane opens up on the right side. Do you see what I mean Tim?"_

_Tim turned his attention back to the television. "Yeah, I saw it Coach. Can you play it again though so I can make sure I have every angle down?"_

_Eric and Billy turned to Tim, slighty stunned for a moment before Eric spoke again. "That's the attitude I like, son. I can absolutely play it again for you." Eric started to rewind as his wife spoke._

"_Hun, you can play it again after dinner. Right now you're gonna turn off that tape and sit down at the table."_

"_Of course sweetheart," Eric replied with a tight smile as he turned off the TV and followed the Riggins boys to the table._

"_So, Jules, are you still going to the party tomorrow night?" Tim inquired, trying to sound as laid-back as possible as he helped himself to some chicken and cornbread._

"_That's the plan." Julie responded, hoping her father hadn't changed his mind._

"_What are the rules?" Eric asked._

"_Eric," Tami warned as she sipped her wine._

_Eric put his fork down and looked at his wife. "Tami if she can't repeat the rules she can't go."_

_Billy and Tim looked at each other then their plates as the room fell silent. Julie was beet red as her father waited for her to speak. _

"_No drinking. No boys. Home by midnight. Call by eleven if I want to sleep out." Julie responded in a breath and finished with a smile at her father who gave a satisfied grin to Julie and then Tami._

"_So Billy, tell me about your new job." As Billy talked with Coach and Tami, Tim caught Julie's eye. He gave her a smile and a nod. She understood. He was letting her know that she shouldn't be embarrassed and it wasn't a big deal. She smiled back at him and they shared a small moment before the conversation at the table took its inevitable turn towards football. The rest of the meal went smoothly as Tami allowed the boys to talk strategy for the following night's game. _

_After dinner the boys watched more film as Julie helped Tami clean up and Gracie played in her pen. As Gracie began to fuss, Tami said goodnight and took her to bed. Her cries got louder and Eric excused himself to help Tami, asking Julie to see their guests out as he left the room._

"_Julie, be sure to tell your mom that dinner was delicious." Billy said as he walked out the front door._

"_Hey Billy I'll be out in a minute." Billy just nodded and headed to the truck. "It was real nice for your parents to have us over tonight Julie, I really missed being in this house." Tim said with a smile._

"_Yeah it was nice having you back. My dad will never admit it but I think he really misses having you around."_

_Tim let out a small chuckle at that thought. "Well, goodnight Jules." He took her in for another moment and stepped towards the door._

"_Hey Tim," Julie called out, her voice small, before he could step through the door, her hand on his forearm hoping he would stop._

_He turned around, slight concern etched on his face as he waited for her to speak. "Yeah Jules?"_

"_Um, you're-a, you're going to the party tomorrow right?"_

_He broke into his trademark smirk at her question. "Yeah, I'll be there after the game. Have a goodnight Jules." He didn't know what possessed him but he leaned forward and put an arm around her pulling her close. He pressed a quick kiss into her hair. He was gone seconds later and she was left in thought._

_She couldn't explain her apprehension about going to the party tomorrow. Being housebound the past few weeks had been more of a blessing than a curse. At home nothing could happen. At home she didn't need to worry about natural disasters and horny high school boys. At home she was safe and with her family. Somewhere along the line he had fallen into that category. It wasn't that she considered him family, not by a long shot. He wasn't family, he was Tim. He was built, gorgeous and somehow comfortable enough to open up with her. And what was amazing to her was that with him, she knew she'd be safe._


	4. Chapter 3

Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. The response to this has been really great and I appreciate all the comments. You can all thank WhoJ for this chapter being out sooner than I planned. I nearly scrapped it before talking to her.

Please be warned this chapter is the turning point for the story. There are some darker and more mature situations.

With that said, Please Read and Review!

**Chapter 3**

The game wasn't even close. The other team didn't have a chance the way the Panthers played. The crowd erupted in cheers as the clock counted off its final seconds.

Tim took off his helmet and swept back is sweat-soaked hair. He found her in the crowd with her mother and baby sister. She was cheering and waving at Coach. Her smile reached her eyes and he believed, he truly did, that he had something to do with that. Tim felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see a very satisfied Coach Taylor.

"That was a great game son, a great game. You keep playing like that and not only will we get to state but you'll have to decide which college offer you want to take."

"Thanks Coach," Tim said unsure how to respond to the compliment.

"You go have fun tonight son, you deserve it. I'll see you Monday at practice."

"Yes Sir." Tim exhaled and made his way through the throngs of people patting him on the back as he headed for the locker room. He had given it his all tonight and he would certainly be sore tomorrow. But tonight, that didn't matter. Tonight, he was going to enjoy the win with his teammates. Tonight, he would talk with Jules.

--

Julie arrived at the party with Tyra just as it was filling up with kids still on a high from their team's win. She had already received the okay from her parents to stay at Tyra's house that night and she was looking forward to a night with her friends. She was doing her best to push aside her nerves and enjoy herself.

"Well don't you ladies look nice tonight," Landry commented in his Texas drawl. Both blondes had their hair down and straight. Tyra was in a one-shoulder red shirt and a pair of dark jeans. Julie had on a light blue halter and a short, black, cotton skirt.

"Thanks Landry." Julie said as Tyra gave him a quick kiss. "You sure made it out of the locker room fast."

"Yeah, well it shouldn't take him long considering he didn't break a sweat tonight." Tyra let slip with a small chuckle as she grabbed Landry's beer.

"Real nice, Tyra. Thank you for that. Excuse me Julie." Julie stepped back to let Landry through as he headed towards the side door of the house.

"Oh crap. I should probably go apologize for that shouldn't I?" Tyra asked with a sound of regret.

Julie nodded her head, "Yeah that might be a good idea if you still plan on calling him your boyfriend."

Tyra put on a grin-and-bare it look. "I'll be back in a few."

"Go apologize to your boyfriend. I'm going to go find something non-alcoholic to drink. I'll meet up with you later."

With that Tyra was off to apologize and Julie headed towards the kitchen. She stopped short of entering when she saw the half dozen guys filling their cups from the keg. She recognized a few of them as members of last year's graduating class, and a few of them looked older than that. Julie was nearly positive that it was one of their homes in which she currently stood. She ignored their leers as she opened the fridge door hoping to find a soda.

"Ain't nothing to quench your thirst in there. Pick your poison Taylor." The guy, Anthony she thinks, offers pointing to the keg and bottles of liquor lined up on the counter next to him.

Julie's eyes widened at the sheer number of bottles of whiskey, gin and vodka. The guys all snickered at her reaction. "I, uh, was just looking for a soda." She felt completely stupid, but stood by her intention not to drink tonight.

"One virgin drink for the virginal coach's daughter, coming right up." Mouthed off one of the other boys.

"And that would be my cue to leave," Julie began to walk out no longer in the mood to be at a party.

Anthony followed her, grabbing her hand as she entered the main room. "Sorry about him, he's an ass when he's drunk. I think I've got some sodas in the back room if you're still interested."

Julie paused for a second, exhaling her bad mood, and nodded at Anthony. "Yeah, that'd be great, thanks." She followed him down a hallway leading to the back of the house.

--

Tim walked into the sound of cheers. He was offered up both beers and warm bodies as he walked towards the rest of his teammates who were holding court on the couches in the middle of the room.

"My man Riggins!" Smash yelled getting up to shake Tim's hand. "Somebody get this man a drink. No one blocks better for the Smash than this man here." The house erupted in cheers again as Tim grabbed a beer from an offering rally girl, then proceeded to turn his back on her as he surveyed the party looking for her, always her.

"Hey have you guys seen Julie?" Tyra asked, with Landry at her side.

"I-uh, I think I saw her, maybe earlier, walking somewhere with Tony." Matt stuttered taking another sip of his beer.

"Landry I'm going to go look for her, I'll meet you back here in a few." He gave Tyra a kiss on the cheek before sitting next to Matt and trying to insert himself into the conversation. Tyra smiled at her boyfriend and started to look for Julie.

"Hey Tyra, hold up. I'll help you look."

"Tim, I see what you're doing. If you do anything to her, so help me god."

"Whoa, Tyra, hold on. I just offered to help you find her."

"Tim I know you better than most of your friends, if you hurt her—"

Tim pulled Tyra into the kitchen and sent the other occupants a look that clearly said 'get out if you know what's good for you.' They cleared quickly and Tim put his hands on the counter as he tried to gather his thoughts. Tyra stood there with her arms crossed waiting for him to speak.

"Tim?" Tyra asked, her patience growing thin.

"Just hold on." Tim exhaled and then turned to look Tyra in the eye. She wouldn't believe him if he didn't look her straight in the eye. "I like her. Don't laugh. I like her more than I understand. I wont hurt her; I swear to you I will never hurt her. But I am going to do what I can to make her happy, hopefully, with me."

Tyra was stunned. She had never heard him speak about anything, except maybe football, like this. Tim Riggins had finally fallen for a girl and he seemed ready to have a try at a real relationship. Go figure Julie Taylor was the one to turn him into an honest man. Tyra nodded and gave Tim a tight smile.

"Let's go find your girl."

--

Julie was growing more uncomfortable by the moment. Anthony had led her to a room in the back of the house. He closed the door after them and pointed her to a small fridge next to the bed.

"There should be a couple cans in there."

She walked over and found a Coke while Anthony took up residence in front of the door.

"Thanks for the soda Anthony," she said holding up the can to make her point as she walked towards him and the door. "I'm going to go find Tyra, if you'll excuse me."

"I don't think so." He reached his right hand behind his back and locked the door.

Panic started to flood Julie's chest and she was having trouble finding her voice. "That's really not funny Anthony." She choked out at barely a whisper. She tried to reach around him for the doorknob but she wasn't fast enough. She dropped the can to the carpet as he grabbed her wrists in his hands. She struggled to free her hands and stay upright as he walked forward.

"Anthony stop!" Julie yelled as loud as she could. She started to cry as her legs hit the back of the bed and she fell backwards with him on top of her.

"No one can hear you over the music." He whispered into her ear and then placed sloppy kisses down the neckline of her top. Her sobs grew louder as he grabbed both wrists in one hand and used the other to reach under her shirt. "Just give in Julie, you'll enjoy this."

That comment and his hand on her breast seemed to bring new fight to her. She kneed him in the groin causing him to roll off her and curl up in pain. She got up as fast as possible, her legs barely able to hold her up straight as she stumbled to the door. She was fumbling with the lock as he came up behind her turning her around and throwing her against the door, ripping the neck ties to her shirt in the process. Julie's hand went to the back of her head, which was starting to pound from its impact with the door.

"That was a mistake Julie!" He yelled at her as he grabbed her shoulders and threw her back to the bed.

--

"Did you hear that?" Tim asked Tyra as he thought he heard something from the door down the hall.

"Hear what?" Tyra responded peaking her head into the rooms they passed looking for Julie. She watched Tim as he stalked towards the last door in the hall. He was stopped in his tracks as the door jumped from impact. Tyra ran to Tim and they both heard Julie's name being yelled from inside the room.

"Tyra go get Landry and Smash. Only them. Get them back here now." Tim said as calmly as he could as he tried to open the door.

"Tim—"

"Tyra! Go now!" Tim all but yelled as he started to pound on the door.

Tyra ran and grabbed them both, most of the crowd too drunk to notice the girl and two football players running to the back of the house. They arrived just in time to see Tim kicking open the door and charging inside.

He saw Jules, his Jules, crying with some guy on top of her, his hands pulling at her clothes. All he could do was react. He tackled the guy off of her and started throwing punches. He got a few good ones in before Smash and Landry pulled him off. He fought against them until he saw Julie. Her face was completely white, and bruises were starting to form on her exposed body. What worried him most was that she didn't seem to be responding to Tyra, not even letting the girl touch her.

"Get him out of here," Tim ordered to his teammates. "And don't breathe a word about this to anyone."

"Don't worry Tim, we got your back." Smash said with complete obedience as him and Landry pushed the bleeding boy out of the room.

Tim approached Julie cautiously, his heart breaking as he took in how fragile she looked as she was rocked back and forth.

"She won't answer me Tim. Who do I call? What do I do?" Tyra was crying as the panic in her voice continued to rise.

"Julie? Jules? Can you hear me?" Her head snapped to attention as she processed his voice.

"Tim?"

"Yeah Jules, it's me, I'm here."

Julie started to crawl from the head of the bed to the end where Tim sat. She put her arms around him and curled her body into his. He wrapped his arms around her and she began to cry.

"Tim I need to know what to do. Should I call her parents or the cops?" Tyra was still panicking as Tim did his best to soothe Julie.

Landry and Smash re-entered the room. "He won't come near her or Dillon again, Tim." Smash said matter of fact as he took in the scene before him. Tim held Julie to him as carefully as he could, concern etched all over the fullback's face.

"What can we do Tim? Who should we call?" Landry echoed his girlfriend's questions from earlier.

"Jules? What do you want to do?" Tim asked as Julie's sobs quieted against his chest.

Julie lifted her head and took in the concerned faces of the people around her. Emotionally exhausted she buried her head into his neck and spoke just loud enough for him to hear her.

"Get me out of here Tim."


	5. Chapter 4

AN: Hey guys. Here is the next part. I wanted to thank everyone again for reviewing, it's very encouraging to have people comment on your writing, it definitely motivates me to get the next chapter out for all of you as soon as possible. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'll try and get the next part up within the week.

Please Review!!

**Chapter 4**

"Tyra where is she staying tonight?" Tim asked softly as Julie lay still in his arms.

"She's supposed to be at my house. But I don't think we can bring her there in this condition."

"Alright, well Billy drove out of town for work right after the game so we can bring her to my house. Tyra, go get my truck and get it as close to that back door as you can. Smash, Landry, make sure no one comes back here until we're gone." Landry nodded.

"Whatever you need Riggs." Smash said as he followed Landry and Tyra out of the room.

"Jules, Tyra and I are going to take you back to my house, if that's okay with you." She nodded.

A knock at the door caught both of their attention. "Tim, it's uh me, Landry. Just letting you know your ride is here."

"We'll be right there." He called back. Julie slowly tried to peel herself off Tim and stand. Her legs buckled beneath her and he was there to catch her and cradle her to him. "It's okay Jules." He carried her easily to the car and climbed into the passenger side of his truck with Julie still in his arms. Landry and Smash came to Tim's still open door. Tim gave them both a look of appreciation as they approached.

"If she needs anything let us know." Smash offered as he closed the door. Tim gave them a nod and told Tyra to drive.

The ride back to Tim's was silent. As soon as Tyra put the car in park Tim opened the door and carefully carried Julie into the house. He gently placed her on the couch and went to grab a bottle of water for her. Tyra came in and sat next to Julie.

"What can I do to help Julie?" Tyra asked her friend as Tim came back in handing Julie the water bottle and taking a seat on the coffee table in front of her.

Julie took a swig of the water, letting the cool liquid coat her throat. "I want to shower." Julie responded, sounding a little more like herself as she turned to Tim, "Can I take a shower here?"

"Of course you can. I'll go grab you a clean towel and some clothes."

"Julie we got to at least call your parents." Tyra pleaded.

"Tyra, I don't want to talk to them about this. Not now at least." Tim walked back in and held his free hand out to help Julie up.

"Julie, wait. At the very least you have to take pictures of what he did to you."

"Not now Tyra." Tim warned.

"No Tim. She's got to do this. Its what they did to me after my attack. She may not want to talk to the police now, but one day she will, and she's going to need these when she does."

Tim was about to respond when Julie's small voice spoke up, "It's fine Tim, I'll take the pictures. Grab a camera and meet me in the bathroom Tyra." She grabbed the towel and clothes out of Tim's arms and walked to the bathroom.

--

Julie stripped down to her strapless bra and underwear. She wrapped a towel around her bruised and exhausted body. She stared at herself in the mirror, taking in the bruises on her wrists and shoulders. She brought one hand up to her throbbing head and felt a large bump that had already begun to form. She winced at the knock on the door.

"Julie, it's me. I have my camera." Tyra opened the door slowly and took the sight of Julie in. "Oh Julie."

"Can we just get this over with and talk about it later?"

"Of course, I'm sorry we'll do this quickly."

--

Tim was brought out of his thoughts as he heard the bathroom door open and close and the shower turn on.

"How's she doing?" Tim asked Tyra as she sat next to him.

"About as well as can be expected. I think she'll be okay to take back to my place when she's done."

"Yeah, whatever she wants."

Tim had turned the TV on but neither of them were paying it any attention. They sat quietly and waited for Julie to come out.

--

She stepped out of the shower feeling ten times better after scrubbing her body clean under the hot water. She dressed in the sweatpants and shirt that Tim had found for her. She made a mental note to thank him for picking something with long sleeves. As much as the idea of being too close to anyone at the moment sent chills down her arm, the smell of Tim's cologne and the scent that she couldn't identify more than saying it was "his" comforted her completely.

Julie took one last look at herself in the mirror. With her hair down and untamed she looked like a wet dog as her long locks soaked through the back of her shirt. That should be the least of her problems right now. She exhaled one last time and went out to face her friends.

Both Tim and Tyra's heads snapped around when they heard her pad out of the bathroom.

"Hey Julie, Landry's on his way over. He'll drive us back to my place whenever you're ready."

Julie stopped and thought about the offer for a minute. While Tyra's mom may not be the most responsible parent, between her and Mindy they would realize that something was wrong and get her parents involved. She needed more time to get herself together. She'd be lying to herself if she didn't admit that she also needed Tim.

"I'm going to stay here." She said more sure of herself than she had been all night. She turned to Tim, "If that's okay with you?"

Tim stood and walked towards her. "Whatever you want, you can stay here as long as you need."

"Julie are you sure about that?"

"Positive."

"Alright well I have to make an appearance at home. I'll grab your bag from my house and bring it by in the morning. If you need anything I can be back here in five minutes." Tyra said walking towards the door.

"Thanks Tyra." Julie gave her a quick hug and walked to the couch.

Tim followed Tyra to the porch making sure to leave the front door open. "I'll call you if anything comes up or she needs you."

"Thanks Tim. You're doing good, just be there for her. I don't know what I would have done if Landry hadn't been my shoulder to cry on. If it's too much for you, you know how to reach me."

"Don't worry Tyra, I got her." With a final peak at Julie in the house, Tyra gave Tim a nod and headed towards Landry in the car. He watched them pull out of the driveway and headed back into the house.

Tim approached Julie slowly. It was clear her thoughts were elsewhere while her eyes while her eyes stared blankly at the TV screen. She looked so small swallowed up in his clothes with her legs pulled up under her chin.

"Can I get you something Jules? There's probably something I can make out of the fridge or I can order you something. Whatever you want."

Julie gave him a small smile. "Can you sit with me?" She asked, her voice small.

"Absolutely." He walked over and sat next to her and stretched his arms across the back of the couch. As soon as he was settled she scooted closer to him and let her body mold into his, she knew by now he wouldn't mind. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and carefully pulled her closer into him. She nestled further into his chest and inhaled his scent, letting it, and him, comfort and relax her. Tim looked down at her, needing to see that she was okay as her breathing evened and she fought to keep her eyes open.

"Thank you. Thank you for everything you've done for me." She whispered as she began to drift out of consciousness.

Not wanting to move her, Tim reached for a pillow and a quilt from Billy's chair. He placed the pillow in his lap and carefully repositioned her so she was lying down. She immediately curled her legs up and wrapped her arms around herself. He draped the quilt over her and she grabbed his hand, curling her arms around it like a child did with their stuffed animal. He settled into the couch and wiped the hair from her face. He may have treated women poorly in the past, but he never laid a hand on one of them. He exhaled knowing that now was not the time to deal with his anger over the situation. Right now he had to focus on whatever she needed.

"I'd do anything for you."


	6. Chapter 5

AN: Hey guys! The response to the last chapter was great, I really appreciate it. This chapter is semi-filler, but I hope it shows some insight to how people are feeling. Anyways, I'm having a little trouble getting the next chapter out, so in the meantime, I hope this is sufficient to tide everyone over.

Enjoy and please review!!!

**Chapter 5**

Julie woke up to find it still dark out. The next thing she noticed was the arm she had cradled across her. She looked up so see Tim snoring softly with his neck craned over the back of the couch. She couldn't believe that he had stayed with her, especially stuck in such an uncomfortable position.

She slowly let go of his arm, trying not to wake him as she made her way into the kitchen. She refilled her water bottle from the tap and sat down on one of the stools. Her body ached and her head hurt from the attack, her eyes started to tear as the fear she felt the night before filled her body. She couldn't even let herself think about what would have happened if Tim hadn't shown up.

Julie was to caught up in her head that she didn't notice Tim walk into the kitchen. He cleared his throat, announcing his presence in the least startling way he could think of. Julie's head turned towards him and she gave him a quick smile before turning her head away and wiping the tears that had formed in her eyes.

"I hope I didn't wake you." Julie said quietly, running her hands through her hair.

"No worries Jules. How are you feeling?" He took the stool next to her.

"Better, I guess. I, I keep running everything that happened through my head. I was such an idiot to go back to that room with him. I don't know what I was thinking." She gave him a wry grin as she leaned her cheek in her hand and looked at him.

He couldn't believe how down on herself she was getting. The way she spoke about herself was in an almost mocking tone, like if it had been someone else she would be making fun of their naïveté.

"Julie," he said reaching out for her hand, "you cannot blame yourself for this. I will not let you. You are a kind, gentle, smart and gorgeous girl. You deserve nothing short of the best, and you did not deserve what happened last night. Nor is it your fault, so stop thinking that way. You are going to get through this, and I will be here for you and for whatever you need." Realizing he had said more than he intended, he paused and took a deep breath. "And that's about the most I've ever said at once so I'm going to shut up now."

Julie couldn't help but let out a quick laugh after his speech. She got down from the stool and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He followed suit and they stayed in the kitchen, in each other's arms, for a couple minutes before Julie spoke.

"I think I need to tell my parents."

He gave her a small nod as she sat back on the stool.

"I can take you home whenever you're ready, or call your house and get your parents over here." He waited patiently as she thought through her options.

"Um, if it's okay, can I sleep here a few more hours? Wait to face them until morning?"

Tim gave her a smile and took her hand in his. He walked her to his room. "You take my room, it should be a lot cleaner than Billy's."

"Tim, I've put you out enough, I'm not kicking you out of your own room."

"Don't waste your energy arguing Jules, It's non-negotiable. I'll be right next door in Billy's room if you need me." He saw a quick look of panic flash through her eyes when he mentioned leaving. "I can stay in here if you want. I've passed out on the floor before." He did his best to lighten the mood.

She knew she shouldn't ask him, that it was probably too much. He had done more than enough for her that night. She shouldn't want to be so close to a guy, or anyone, after what happened, but he made her feel safe. "Stay with me. Hold me until I fall asleep?"

Her voice was small, so soft, he almost didn't hear her. He couldn't believe how much she trusted him. Most people saw him as Dillon trash, but not her. She always looked past that. She might have been annoyed when he had moved in, but she still treated him as an equal, a friend even. And now, when she was possibly going through the hardest time of her young life, she wanted him near. She wanted him to hold her, comfort her in her time of need.

Tim didn't say anything as he pulled back the cover of his bed and motioned for her to get in. As soon as she was down he pulled the covers around her small body, as a mother would do for a child. He took off his boots and lied down next to her, on top of the covers, and held out his arms for her. She crawled closer and curled into him, thankful that he stayed on top of the comforter, while also wishing she could further melt into him. With her head on his chest, and his arms around her, she listened to the steady beat of his heart and used it, and his hand rubbing her back, to lull her back to sleep.

--

Tim woke up to the sound of the doorbell, the clock next to him read 9:30. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked down to see Julie still sleeping peacefully on his chest. Hearing the doorbell again, he carefully rolled Julie off him and went to get the door before it woke her. Tim opened the door to find a tired looking Tyra with a small duffle over her shoulder.

"Hey." Tim stepped to the side to let her pass.

"Hey. How's she doing?" Tyra asked placing Julie's bag on the couch.

"Better, I think. She's in my room sleeping right now."

"That's good. Did she say anything about the attack yet?"

"We talked a bit last night; she's getting really down on herself. I did my best to make her see it wasn't her fault, but I don't know. She said she wants to tell her parents."

"That's good. She shouldn't keep it to herself."

They both settled into the couch, neither daring to wake the girl in the other room.

Julie made her way to the living room about a half hour later.

"Hey guys." Julie walked towards the pair with her arms across her chest.

"How you feeling hun?" Tyra asked turning towards her friend.

"Better, thanks."

"Tim said that you want to go home? Tell your parents? I think that's a really good idea Jules."

"Yeah, well, I should get dressed." Julie said getting grabbing her bag and heading towards the bathroom.

Seeing the anxiety in her face Tim got up and stepped in her path. "There's no rush Jules, we're on your time." Julie wrapped her arms around his waist.

Tyra watched in awe as Tim enveloped her in his arms and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. She had never seen this side of Tim before. She knew what he said about how he felt towards Julie, but those were only words. The way he treated her, handled her, was full of love. Tyra had never seen Tim act so gentle and caring. Had the situation been different she would have been jealous that Julie Taylor, and not her had brought this side out of him. But there was no jealousy. Tyra was just thankful that Julie had someone to lean on. She was brought out of her thoughts when Tim rejoined her on the couch.

"You're doing good Tim, real good."

Tim just nodded in response.

Julie came out a few minutes later dressed in jeans and a Panthers hoodie. "Shall we?"


	7. Chapter 6

AN: Hey guys, sorry it took me so long to update. This chapter was really hard for me to write, and I'm still not completely happy with it but I wanted to get it out and move on. Anyways, sorry if people are out-of-character, I've come to terms with it and just hope that if this were ever an actual storyline, the characters would behave similarly. So I hope you all enjoy it, I'll try to have another chapter out within the week.

Please review!!

**Chapter 6**

Julie, Tim and Tyra piled into Tim's truck and silently headed over to the Taylor's house. Tim pulled into the Taylor driveway and turned off the car. Julie stared out at her front door; she had become increasingly pale the closer they had gotten to her house, and now that they were there, she was nearly stark white. Tim took Julie's left hand in his right one and laced their fingers together. The action took Julie out of her trance and she looked up and gave him a small smile.

"I guess we should probably go in?" Julie asked her friends looking hesitant.

"Whenever you're ready hun," Tyra replied.

Julie took a deep breath in, then out. She nodded slightly and gave Tim's hand a small squeeze. Tim and Tyra both opened their doors and got out, Tim helped Julie out after, never letting go of her hand. Tyra grabbed Julie's bag and they headed to the house.

Julie reached out for the door handle and entered her home.

"Baby girl is that you?" Tami called from the kitchen. "How was last night? Did you and Tyra have fun?"

Julie's breath caught at that and she started to retreat back towards the door. She was stopped when she couldn't get any further without letting go of Tim. She looked into his eyes, pleading for an escape. He could see in hers all the fear from last night, the fear of having to relive the experience, of having to tell her parents. Tim quickly went to Julie and put his arms around her. Tyra met Tim's eyes; she would be the one to answer Mrs. Taylor.

"Hey Mrs. T," Tyra said stepping into the kitchen, giving Julie a moment to compose herself. "Is Coach here?"

"Yeah, he's in the bedroom with Gracie-Belle." Tami dried her hands and went over to her daughter's best friend, concern spread across her face as she noticed how tired Tyra looked. "What's going on? Are you okay Tyra?" Tami gave the girl a quick once over then snapped her head up to meet Tyra's eyes. "Tyra where is Julie? Is she okay? Eric get out here!" The panic in her voice escalated with each question.

Hearing the commotion and not wanting a bigger scene then necessary Julie spoke up, "I'm here Mom, I just need to talk to you and Dad about something."

Eric came out of the bedroom, his hair sticking out everywhere from falling asleep with Gracie. "Will you all keep your voices down," he whispered in a harsh tone. "I just got her down for her nap a little bit ago." It was then that he noticed Tim Riggins, standing in the entrance of his house, with his arms wrapped around his daughter. Eric stood up a little straighter and put his hands on his hips, "What the hell is going on out here?"

By now everyone had gathered in the front hall and all eyes were on Julie and Tim, who was unwrapping himself from Julie, but still held her hand firmly.

"Um, Mom, Dad, I need to talk to you both about something that happened last night." Eric's eyes darted to Tim and his hand went up to scratch the back of his neck. "Dad, whatever you're thinking you're wrong."

"Julie, baby, you need to tell me what happened, you're starting to scare me." Tami said ushering her daughter into the living room. Julie pulled at the frayed ends of her sweatshirt sleeves as everyone settled into the living room. "Julie, what's going on?" Tami said grabbing her daughter's wrist to get her attention. Julie winced and pulled her hands away from the light pressure of her mother's hands on her bruised wrists.

Eric moved to sit on the other side of his daughter. "Role up your sleeves."

Julie slowly pushed back her sleeves to reveal her bruised wrists and forearms. Tami gasped and pulled her daughter to her as Julie started to cry. Eric had a different reaction.

"What the hell happened to my daughter last night!?" Eric yelled at Tim and Tyra.

Seeing that Julie was in no condition to respond, and Tyra was too scared to talk back to the Coach, Tim responded. "Julie was attacked."

"Thank you, Tim, I figured that much out on my own! Will someone explain to me how the hell this happened!"

"Stop yelling at him Dad! If it weren't for Tim things would have been a lot worse." Julie informed her Dad at the tears continued to fall from her eyes.

The room was silent long enough to make out Gracie's crying from the other room.

"I got her. Y'all stay here and talk." Tyra said, exiting the tense room quickly.

Tim grabbed a box of tissues and handed them to Tami. He then took a seat in Coach's chair, waiting for Julie to speak.

"Whatever happened Julie, we still love you. We just need to make sure you are okay. You have to tell us what happened." Eric said, calmer than when he had spoken previously.

Julie used a tissue to dry the tears from her face. "Tyra and I went to the party after the game. She went to talk to Landry and I went in search of something to drink." Seeing her father's glare from the corner of her eye she quickly elaborated on her last statement. "Something non-alcoholic to drink. All they had in the kitchen was beer and liquor, but one of the guys told me there was some soda in the back of the house." Julie's skin chilled at the thought of her own gullibility. "It's my own fault. I was so stupid to have gone off with him, I don't know what I was thinking."

"Julie, I told you this is not your fault." Tim said leaning towards the family, searching for her eyes to connect with his.

Eric glared at the boy who knew far more about what was going on with his daughter than he did. His wife's voice brought him out of thought, but he would make sure to find out all of Tim's involvement before this discussion was over.

"Julie, Tim's right. Whatever happened is not your fault." Tami spoke as she rubbed her daughter's back.

"What happened next?" Eric asked.

"He showed me to a small fridge in one of the back bedrooms where there was a can of soda. I grabbed it, thanked him, and went to leave, but he was blocking the door."

Tami's hand covered her mouth to stop from gasping, or crying, she wasn't sure which at that point.

"So, he-um, he tried to, he grabbed me and tried to make me, um, you know, force me. But, I-uh, I fought back the best I could, and before things progressed too far, Tim broke the door down and threw the guy off me."

"Oh Jules." Tami replied in a state of shock. She couldn't believe what her little girl had been through. She held her daughter to her, more for her own comfort than Julie's.

"Where are you hurt?" Eric asked his daughter, trying to stay as calm as he could while all he really wanted to do was rip the head off of whoever did this to his daughter.

"Um, I'll be fine, it was scary more than anything else."

"That's not what I asked Julie. You winced at your mother's touch. Now show us where you are hurt."

Tim started to get up, "I'll give you some privacy."

"Please stay Tim." Julie asked softly.

Tim sat right back down.

Julie stood up and carefully removed her sweatshirt revealing a tank top underneath, along with her battered body. Tami, Eric and Tim were speechless as they took the site of her in. Tim had seen some of the damage done the night before, but now the bruises had set and angry purple marks marred her skin. Her wrists and shoulders were the most pronounced, with her wrists being covered in bruises as if she had been handcuffed. Near her neck and collarbone were scratches and finger shaped bruises. As she had done the night before when Tyra took her picture she held her hair up and turned around so they could see the large bruise that had formed at the base of her hairline from when she had been thrown against the door.

Julie put her sweatshirt back on and sat on the coffee table across from her parents. Silent tears ran down Tami's face while Eric got more and more red with rage as the seconds went on.

"Who did this to you?" Eric asked through clenched teeth. "Tim? What's the kid's name?"

"Anthony. He lives just outside of Dillon. I don't think he'll ever show his face in town again though sir."

"And why's that?"

"Smash had to pull me off of him after I found him and Julie. If he didn't get the hint from that, I'm pretty sure Smash and Landry spelled it out for him when they dragged him from the room." Tim replied.

Eric gave a satisfied nod and asked Julie and Tami to give him a moment with Tim.

"Dad," Julie said in a pleading tone, not wanting Tim to be the subject of an interrogation when he was the one who had saved her and comforted her all night.

"Now Julie I need to talk to Tim, so go with your mother and clean yourselves up. We'll talk about what we're going to do about this later."

Everyone stood up as the two women began to make their way out of the living room. Julie broke away from her mother and walked swiftly to Tim, wrapping her arms around his waist and whispering, "Thank you," before leaving them alone.

Tim kept his eyes on Julie until she was out of his sightline. He then turned his head to Coach who was already looking his way.

"Son, I want to thank you for everything you've done for my daughter. I'm thankful that you intervened before something irreversible happened to her. For that, I will always be in your debt and you are always welcome as a part of this family."

"Thank you Coach. It wasn't all that though. When I saw what he was doing, I just reacted. I think anybody else would have done the same."

"I would hope so, but son, you broke a door down to get to my daughter. What the hell was going on last night?"

Tim retold Coach the story from his perspective, how he arrived at the party just as Tyra was looking for Julie, and that Matt had mentioned her going off with Tony. He had heard a struggle in one of the rooms and the rest the coach knew.

"So why didn't you and Tyra bring her home right away? Or call Tami and me, or the cops?"

"Julie was in shock, sir. Her shirt was all torn and she wouldn't speak to anyone. I didn't think it would help matters if the whole party saw her in that condition, so Tyra got my truck, and Smash and Landry kept anyone from coming to where we were. When she did start speaking she said she wasn't ready to come home. So Tyra and I brought her back to my house, let her clean up and get some rest. She told me in the middle of the night that she wanted to tell you and Mrs. Coach after she slept for a few more hours."

Eric took in every word Tim said. Admiring the young man next to him for taking control of the situation and his daughter, especially for having the foresight not to let her be the talk of Dillon's gossip mill. "While I wish we had been informed earlier, it's clear my daughter was in good hands." Eric stood up and stuck out his hand to shake Tim's. "Son, you are a good man. Thank you for taking care of my daughter."

----

That's all for now - Please review!


	8. Chapter 7

AN: Hey guys. This was a weird chapter to get through but it's kind of setting up the next part in the story. Call it filler or whatever, I don't know :) Anyways, I hope everyone's still interested in this. Please let me know any comments or suggestions, I am always open to them. I'll try and get the next part out soon!

Enjoy! Please review!

**Chapter 7**

The Taylor family spent the rest of the weekend at home, with the occasional visit from Tyra and Landry checking in. Even Smash had stopped by to check on Julie. Tim had all but lived at the Taylor house, keeping Julie company and giving Coach peace of mind every time he wanted to barge out and rip Anthony's head off.

Julie had convinced her parents not to go to the police. She didn't want the whole town knowing what happened and after a lot of conversation, her parents agreed as long as Anthony didn't go near her again.

It was Sunday night and the Taylors and Tim were watching football. Eric was in his chair, absorbed in the game, Tami sat on one end of the coach with Gracie in her lap. Tim sat on the other end with Julie asleep on his shoulder. As Gracie began to fuss, Eric took her from his wife and brought her to the bedroom.

"Hey Tim?" Tami asked softly as not to wake up her older daughter.

"Yeah Mrs. Coach," Tim matched her volume.

"I just wanted to thank you for being so good to my baby girl. It's nice to see that there is a real person behind that reputation of yours. And to see you take such care of my daughter makes me thank god that you're in our lives."

"I just want to make sure Julie's okay."

"I can see that you like her, Tim. When Julie comes through this, which I know she will, I would be happy to see you as a part of her life."

"That-uh, that means a lot Mrs. Coach," Tim said staring at the sleeping girl on his arm.

"One more thing Tim." Tami said, her voice light and sweet.

"Yes M'am," he responded smiling as he met her gaze.

"You ever sleep with my daughter and I'll cut your nuts off." She smiled wide.

Tim paled, "Yes M'am."

"Alright then." Tami turned off the TV and stood. "How about you help me bring Julie to her room? It's getting late, you should be getting home."

Tim nodded and carefully lifted Julie into his arms. He followed Mrs. Taylor to Julie's room and gently laid her down on her bed before saying a quick goodnight as Mrs. Taylor tucked her in.

--

Monday came to fast for everyone involved. Both Eric and Tami decided it would be best for Julie to stay home at least a couple days so she could heal a little more before being back in the public eye. Tami had decided to stay with her, no one being ready to leave her alone yet.

Eric did his best to stay focused on his work and the upcoming game that Friday night. His best efforts were futile though as he found himself calling Tami for an update every chance he got.

Tim did his best to focus on school. He spent the day going through the motions, ignoring the best attempts of rally girls and his teammates to pull him out of his head. Beyond the small nods he gave to Tyra and Smash, Tim kept his head down until it came time to practice.

He'd never been more focused on his game. He took the two hour practice as a chance to refocus all of his anger towards Anthony and his worries about Julie and direct it towards whoever stood in his way.

Coach pushed the team hard in preparation for Friday night. Only Coach, Landry and Smash had an idea what was driving Tim, but the whole team followed in his motivation. As practice came to an end Eric called the team together.

"That was one hell of a practice. You boys keep playing like that and we will not only get to state, but we'll win it. I'm proud of the way y'all have been pushing each other to the next level. Keep it up!" Eric took off his sunglasses and looked to each boy stopping when he made eye contact with Tim. "You're all good boys. You keep doing what you're doing and you'll go far in football and in life. I'll see y'all tomorrow. Smash," Coach said expectantly as he began to walk away.

"Clear eyes, full hearts!"

"Can't lose!"

"Said what!"

"CAN'T LOSE!" The boys all cheered and headed towards the locker room.

Eric packed up his work and called Tim to his office before the boy could head to the showers.

"Yeah Coach?" Tim said stepping into the office still dressed in his mud covered practice gear.

Eric walked over to Tim and put a hand on his shoulder. "That was one hell of a practice."

"Thank you sir."

"Dinner's at 7. Clean up and head on over."

Tim nodded as the coach locked up his office and headed home to his girls.

--

Julie spent most of the day curled up on the coach with Tami watching movies and talking. She opened up more about the details of what happened and about how Tim had been comforting her. She even spoke about her concerns from before the attack and how she had viewed Tim as a sort of security blanket ever since the tornado.

Tami just listened to her daughter, holding her when she cried, captivated as she spoke about Tim and his actions. Hearing them from Julie's perspective only proved to Tami how much the boy cared for her daughter. It was also clear to her that Julie wasn't aware of how much Tim cared for her. The way Julie spoke about him made Tim sound like some friendly superhero, rather than the white knight he was starting to resemble.

The two women stayed in their pajamas until late afternoon, at which time they started to cook dinner. As they prepared the meal the mood of the day lightened leaving Tami amazed at her daughter's resilience.

"Hey Mom?" Julie asked as she tossed the salad while Tami took pork chops out of the oven.

"Yeah baby?"

"I-uh, I think I want to go back to school tomorrow. I mean, I think, I think I'm ready to." Julie said staring into the large salad bowl.

"Well Jules, if you think so. But don't feel that you need to. Your dad and I are more than okay with you staying home this week until you're all healed up. There is no need for you to rush this."

"Thanks Mom, but I think I just want to get back to regular life. Besides, there's nothing wrong with me that a long sleeve shirt and some cover-up can't hide." Julie gave Tami a small smile hoping to prove her point. "And, you know, it's not like you and Dad won't be in the same building if I need you."

Tami knew Julie had more than physical healing to do, but she didn't want to push the issue. "Alright hun, if you think you're ready that's great." She walked over towards her daughter and placed a hand on her back. "Just don't hesitate to let us know if you need something."

Julie turned into her mother and gave her a hug. Tami held her daughter in the middle of the kitchen, neither letting go until they heard Eric's truck in the driveway. He came in shortly after holding a giggling Gracie in his arms.

"Where is your Mama and big-sis Gracie-girl? Do you know? Do you know baby girl? I hope they cooked us up something good." Eric said in a goofy voice as he made his way into the house with Gracie in one arm and a briefcase in the other.

Tami kept one arm around Julie's shoulders as they listened to Eric's best attempt at baby talk in the other room, both of them tried to contain their laughter at the sound and sight of Coach Taylor talking to an infant.

"She can't speak yet Dad. You do know that right?" Julie disengaged from her mom and took Gracie into her arms.

"Of course I know that." Eric said removing his baseball hat and sunglasses and giving Tami a kiss. "So how are my girls doing?"

"I'd say we had a good day, wouldn't you agree Jules?" Julie nodded as she held Gracie high and blew raspberries on her stomach making the baby laugh uncontrollably. The family just took in the scene, forgetting their troubles for a brief moment before the doorbell rang.

"That would be Tim." Eric said prompting Julie to head towards the door, Gracie in tow.

"She wants to go back to school tomorrow." Tami said as she grabbed plates from the cupboard.

"Do you think that's wise? I mean is she ready? This whole mess just happened a few days ago."

"I'm well aware of that hun, but she says she wants things to get back to normal. I think we should follow her lead on this one."

--

Julie opened the door to find a freshly showered Tim.

"Hey, come on in." Julie said, genuinely happy to see him.

"Hey, thanks Jules." He stepped past her, his smell making its way to Julie, immediately making her relax, not having been aware of how on edge she had been.

Gracie, having become aware of Tim, reached her hands out to the fullback grasping for him to take her.

"This is just so wrong," Julie said passing the baby over. "I'm her sister, isn't she supposed to cling to me and be shy in front of everyone else?"

With a completely straight face, and his Texas drawl coming out in full, Tim responded, "Well see it's not your fault Jules, it's a perfectly natural reaction for a girl to prefer me over all others." He finished with his trademark grin as Gracie started pulling at his hair.

Julie couldn't contain the giggles that spilled out of her. "That's a real nice theory Tim. Dinner's just about ready."

Before she could turn to head back to the kitchen Tim caught her hand in his, pulling her gently back towards him.

"How are you?" His voice was more serious than his face had been seconds earlier.

"I'm good." Julie said looking down at her small hand, which all but disappeared in his much larger one.

"Really?" In one word he was able to convey his skepticism for her answer with a small bit of hope that her words were true.

"Well, maybe not good," she forced a smile as she looked him in the eyes, "but better. Definitely better."

He took the small step that was still between them, and with one arm around Julie, and the other still holding an all but forgotten Gracie, he kissed her softly on the forehead and whispered into her hair, "that's good Jules, real good."

They stood together until Gracie's mumbling interrupted the moment. With one last smile exchanged, the trio headed into the dining room.

-----

AN2: So what did you think?


	9. Chapter 8

**AN: Hey guys thanks for all of the reviews. I wanted to address those who have mentioned the long time between updates. First off, I apologize. If I could write everyday and update as often I would. Second, I think an update every week or two is pretty good considering I'm finishing up my last semester of college and work a part-time job. So, please keep in mind that I'm doing the best I can and will continue to update when I have time, but the next two months will be my busiest by far. **

**Anyways, I hope that is a satisfactory explanation for you. I hope you all stick with the story and continue to review – it does motivate me to write whenever I get a review. Sorry for the long AN. Without further ado, enjoy the next chapter!  
**

**Chapter 8**

Julie dressed in a pair of old, loose-fitting jeans and a brown, long-sleeve crew neck. She wanted to cover all of her scrapes and bruises without looking too different than normal. She had gotten up early enough to put on a light coat of make-up and cover up the bruises that snuck up over her neckline.

She met her parents in the kitchen as they were going about their morning routines. Tami was getting her work together as Eric fed Gracie, and the two adults discussed their schedules. At Julie's arrival the conversation broke and Tami handed her daughter a plate of food and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"How you feeling today sweetheart?" Eric asked as both he and Tami closely watched Julie's every move.

"I'm fine," Julie took a quick bite of the eggs on her plate. "How are you guys?" Julie continued to keep her mouth full hoping to appease her parents and turn the conversation on them.

The truth was that she was nervous about going back to school. She wasn't looking forward to the packed halls and the awkward small talk. She also wasn't sure if people knew about what had happened. The idea of everyone looking at her like she was some naïve girl who had put herself in a bad situation, or even worse, like a victim, made her want to crawl into her parents bed and never leave. But the idea of doing nothing all day, just sitting around with time to think about Anthony and the attack was a far worse option. She would gladly brave the Dillon High halls over being stuck reliving the experience in her head for another day.

Noticing that Julie had stopped eating after her first initial bites and was staring off into space, Tami decided to make sure that Julie wanted to go through with this.

"Hunny are you sure you're ready to go back to school? Everything only happened a couple days ago." Tami reached across the counter taking Julie's hand in hers as she spoke.

"What? Yeah mom I'm sure. I'll be fine. We should get going though." Julie got up and scraped the contents of the nearly full plate into the garbage. "I'll meet you in the car."

As Julie went to her room to grab her bag, Eric and Tami exchanged a concerned look.

"Follow her lead right?" Eric asked his wife, not fully convinced of the plan himself.

"Yeah," Tami replied slowly. "I mean yes, of course." She gave Eric and Gracie each a quick kiss before gathering her things. "Alright, well I'll see you later."

--

Julie said goodbye to her mom in the car park. She walked cautiously to the stream of students making their way into school and decided to dive right in. She kept her head down as she made her way through the crowd and to her locker. Tyra greeted her at the lockers.

"Julie," Tyra smiled seeing her friend and giving her an awkward little hug. "I can't believe you're back. How are you?"

"Tyra I only took one day off, and you saw me over the weekend. I'm fine, really I am. I just want to put it all behind me." Julie plastered on a smile to convince her friend.

"That's good Julie, it's just, you know, I've been through this before and I know how important it was for me to talk to someone. You know you can't just go back to the way things are."

Julie didn't want to listen to this anymore. She didn't like being told how she should feel or how she should be acting. "Tyra stop," It came out harsher than she intended but Julie needed to get her point across. "Just cause you went through something similar doesn't make our feelings and the way we deal with the situation the same. Just cause you couldn't go back to normal doesn't mean I cant. And furthermore, just because I'm not talking to you about how I feel, doesn't mean I'm not talking. So can we stop talking about this, especially with so many people around? Please," Julie's voice had grown softer and more pleading as she finished. Tyra could tell that Julie was clearly not okay, but she knew better than to push the subject.

"Yeah Julie, of course. I'm just concerned about you that's all."

"It's fine Tyra, let's just forget about it okay? I'm going to be late for class. I'll see you later." With that Julie grabbed her books and headed to her first class, leaving Tyra more concerned than before.

--

Julie made her way through her morning classes without major issue. It quickly became clear to her that no one knew what had happened to her and she was grateful to have avoided the Dillon High gossip mill.

She headed to the lunchroom as per usual. She entered the room apprehensively, slightly overwhelmed with all the people and the commotion. She never realized before how much the students treated lunch as their own midday party. A stereo played from the cheerleaders' table, and the rally girls flaunted themselves in front of the athletes. Julie had never really taken in the whole scene before. But as she stood in the entryway to the cafeteria, with her tray of food in hand, she felt increasingly uncomfortable as she continued to watch the daily scene unfold. She had been so caught up in the comparisons between the lunch scene and Friday night that she was completely startled by a boy who ran into her in his haste to meet up with his friends.

Julie let out a small yelp as she, the boy, and her tray of food all tumbled to the floor. So much for staying out of the Dillon spotlight. Julie fell on her back with the unknown boy partially on top of her. He started to apologize profusely to Julie as the cafeteria erupted in cheers and clapping at the clumsiness of the boy. Julie, quickly having come out of the shock of being bowled over, started to panic.

--

**AN2: Sorry it's a bit short. I'll try and get the next part out over the Thanksgiving weekend.**


	10. Author's Note

**Hey guys. I am so sorry for having abandoned this story. I recently re-watched FNL and fell back in love with the characters and the missed opportunity of a Tim/Julie relationship. I've got some ideas to start this story back up but I wanted to check first if there was still interest. I'll start writing and post in a few days if the interest is there. Please feel free to PM me with any requests/ideas/criticisms/etc.**


	11. Chapter 9

Thank you to everyone who responded and encouraged me to continue this story. I haven't written in a long time so this is a little rough but hopefully it feels like the natural progression of the story. Anyways, I promise more to come soon! As always please read and review!

**Chapter 9**

Julie stayed frozen on the ground. The commotion around her overwhelming her senses, as the boy who had run into her reached for her arm to help her up. Julie recoiled from his touch as the kids in the cafeteria returned to their previous activity. Tyra, having witnessed the scene, got up from the table and quickly went to her friend's aid. Pushing the boy aside Tyra eased Julie to her feet and walked her dazed friend out of the cafeteria and to the nearest bathroom. Julie hadn't said a word, just staring forward, eyes glazed over.

Tyra grabbed some paper towel, wetting it to help clean off Julie. At the first touch of the cold paper towel she snapped out of her trance and looked into her best friend's eyes. "What's wrong with me?" Julie whispered as tears started spill down her face.

Tyra was stunned at Julie's words. She just shook her head saying "nothing," as she pulled her best friend into an embrace. Sometimes Tyra forgot that Julie was younger than her, and had had a lot less life experience. She thought of Julie as her second sister and as the girl cried in her arms she could see how easy it had been for Tim to fall for her. Julie was precious, intelligent, beautiful, caring and always saw the good in other people. Hell, look at all she had done to maintain a friendship with Tyra. Julie never viewed her best friend, or Tim for that matter, as a lost cause.

The sound of the bell broke Tyra from her thoughts as she looked at her best friend who was barely holding herself together. Knowing that walking out into a sea of students was the last thing Julie needed, Tyra ushered her into a stall and instructed her to wait there while she went and got Mrs. Taylor.

Tyra wanted to sprint to Mrs. Taylor's office but restrained herself so as not to draw any unnecessary attention. She had total tunnel vision as she walked right past Tim who saw the concerned look in her eyes. He followed behind her as the rest of the students filtered into their classrooms.

Knocking quickly on Tami's door, Tyra's eyes connected with the counselor, who was at her desk talking on the phone. Waving Tyra and a concerned looking Tim into her office, Tami muttered an apology to the parent on the other end of the line before simultaneously placing the phone in its cradle as she stood ready to run to her daughter if needed.

"Where is she Tyra?" Tim asked, alerting the tall blonde to his presence for the first time.

Quickly glancing at her concerned ex before turning back to Mrs. Taylor to respond. "She's in the C hall bathroom by the cafeteria." The three of them headed down the almost completely empty hall as Tyra continued. "I saw her walk into the cafeteria and she just stopped and started looking around the room. Then some stupid-ass freshman walked right into her knocking them both to the ground."

Tami pushed through the bathroom door, Tyra on her heels, needing to get to her daughter as soon as possible. Tim entered the ladies' room more cautiously not wanting to startle any other possible occupants. He watched as Tyra pushed open the door to the stall she had left Julie in and saw the girl walk straight into her mother's arms, body shaking with silent tears.

"Oh, Julie," Tami said soothingly as she held her eldest daughter in her arms wishing that she could take away the pain and hurt Julie was feeling. "Shh, baby girl it's okay. It's going to be all right, you'll get through this. We'll get through this, I promise." Tim stood by the door as he took in the scene, wishing there were something he could do, wanting to pummel the kid that knocked her over and make everyone else disappear so she would feel safe again. Julie looked so small in her Mama's arms, especially with Tyra standing behind her rubbing Julie's back and offering whatever strength and support she could to the Taylor women.

"Tim?" Tami spoke breaking through the boy's thoughts. He looked up into Mrs. Coach's eyes and gave her his full attention. "Can you go tell my husband what's going on and that I am taking Julie and Tyra back to the house for the rest of the day?"

"Yes, ma'am." Tim replied before taking one last look at the three women huddled together before running down the hall to find Coach.

Eric had caught up with the girls briefly in the parking lot, holding his daughter to him as he mouthed an "I love you" to Tami who gave him a sad smile as they got Julie into the car and headed home. Walking back to his office Eric was at a loss as to what he should or could do. His little girl was breaking and he could no longer protect her from the world. Eric sighed as he fell into his chair, throwing his hat onto the desk and rubbing his hand through his hair then down his face. His family was being tested and his baby was going through hell. Unable to think of anything else to do he folded his hands together, bowed his head, and prayed that they would get through this.

Back at the house Tyra sat at the kitchen counter while Tami started to cook and bake her daughter's favorites hoping that she would eat something.

Julie had gone straight to the shower to get rid of the remaining lunch that had stuck to her and wash her face, breathing regularly again now that she was in her own home. Pulling on Panther's sweatpants and a worn out t-shirt she joined her mom and best friend in the living room. Julie sat down next to Tyra and watched her mom work in the kitchen, the years of taking care of her family make her movements look like a well-rehearsed dance.

Tyra turned to Julie studying her expression while doing her best to avoid looking at the bruises that marred her arms and wrists. "Feeling any better?"

Julie nodded slightly taking a deep breath looking between her mom and Tyra, "I'm sorry I made such a scene at school. I really thought I'd be okay."

"Oh Jules," Tami said reaching out and covering her daughter's hands with her own, "you have nothing to apologize for. Nothing at all you understand me?" Julie gave her mom a small smile before Tami gave her hands a squeeze then went back to cooking.

Julie brought her elbow to the counter, resting her head on her hand and turning to Tyra. "I'm sorry I snapped at you this morning. I just wanted to pretend that everything was normal." Julie brought her other hand to her face pushing her hair back, reminding Tyra of how much Julie was her father's daughter. "I don't know how the hell you got through this Tyra. I feel like everything I do is wrong."

"Julie it takes time. You should have heard what I said to Landry in the weeks after my attack. It made you look like an angel this morning." Julie listened as Tyra continued to elaborate on how she wouldn't have made it through if Landry hadn't been her verbal punching bag and her shoulder to cry on. How he had been there for her at 2 in the morning when she'd had a nightmare or to pull her out of bed on the weekend when she wanted nothing more to do than crawl under her covers. How his patience showed her that not all men were the same and that there was someone that could love her unconditionally.

Julie took in all that Tyra was saying. She understood, or, at least she thought she did. Maybe in order to get out of the dark hole where she found herself she had to let someone in. Maybe Tim could be the one to lead her back into the light.


End file.
